When people think of Africa, they think of animals. Of lions and cheetahs stalking their prey. Of vast herds of zebra and wildebeest. Of ungainly giraffes and imposing elephants. It’s the quintessential image of Africa.
For me, Africa isn’t about animals. But almost all holidays to Africa are built around a safari. In fact it’s hard to go to a sub-Saharan African country and not go on safari. I’ve been on four now and only one of those was intentional.
Hluhluwe (pronounced like the Welsh ‘ll’) National Park in South Africa was my intentional safari. In a nation renowned for its parks, I was expecting those vast herds of zebra and wildebeest. And hoping for a cheetah hunting its prey on the savannah. In fact, Hluhluwe has a much denser vegetation. Trees and scrub cover the hills for miles around. Beautiful… but this has the unfortunate consequence of making animals harder to spot. Herds are small. Or at the very least, they seem it with only a few visible at any point. Disappointing in one sense. But the reward for spotting an elusive lion or a charging elephant is maybe even greater.
Hluhluwe is home to Operation Rhino, a conservation project credited with bringing the white rhino back from extinction. There are slightly less than 2000 today with several thousand more having been sent to restock other parks. The lions, cheetah and leopards may have been hiding but a game drive here isn’t possible without seeing a white rhino. Sadly poaching remains an ever-present threat. But rather than saw off the horns or dye them blue as other parks have tried, Hluhluwe invests in strong ranger patrols. To protect a species from poaching without altering the animal in any way has got to be the ideal. For animals and safari-goers alike. A true success story.
My accidental safaris took place in Uganda, Ethiopia and Namibia. Namibia to be fair has world-renowned game viewing at Etosha National Park. And for good reason. Prides of lion lounge around under trees. Vast herds of zebra and springbok move en masse as they migrate. Literally thousands of them. Jackals stalk their prey. And herds of ostrich air their wings, ungainly as giraffes.
Uganda and Ethiopia are less well known safari destinations. Sadly it’s not usually animals that come to mind for these countries but Idi Amin and famine. But that’s unfair. Both have game parks in differing states of development. Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda hosts plentiful elephant, buffalo and hippos, drinking and soaking along the Kazinga Channel. It also hosts the unique tree-climbing lions which I unfortunately didn’t spot. Ethiopia’s Omo National Park is less well stocked. A few dik-dik, kudu and a herd of buffalo were spotted but otherwise no big game. There’s rumours of lions but I’m not convinced. Probably not helped by the construction to support new sugar cane plantations. Diggers, cranes and irrigation drains don’t tend to attract much wildlife. A reprioritisation and lots more restocking needed before this could claim to be a prime safari destination. But then who goes to Ethiopia for the safari? There’s far more to see!
I am sure I will go on more safaris before my time here is up. War, poaching and community confrontations may have decimated stocks in many parts of the continent. But they’re still there. From Sierra Leone to South Africa, Burkino Faso to Swaziland. Even on the edge of major cities like Cape Town. The whole continent is one huge safari park. Small herds will grow, through restocking and conservation projects. Just so long as wars end, ivory is seen as a relic of a previous era and communities can learn to reap the benefits of tourism, animals will continue to draw tourists to Africa. And that quintessential image will never fade.
